Mr Goldsmith wants the focus to be on how the airport manages its present capacity, not on increasing the number of planes which may land.

The comments by the MP for Richmond Park and north Kingston comments put him a collision course with party colleagues, who claim another runway is crucial for keeping up with international rivals.

““If we were to stand at the next election with a manifesto which includes a third runway, I suspect that a number of what are existing Conservative seats would no longer be Conservative seats in this area,” said Mr Goldsmith, who used to edit an environmental magazine.

“I wouldn’t stand as a Conservative on that manifesto, it’s just not something I would do.

“I suspect there are others who feel the same way,” he told BBC Sunday Politics.

London Mayor Boris also opposes a third runway at Heathrow – advoctating instead building a new airport in the Thames Estuary.

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